Man pulled to safety after fall in icy river

Friday

Mar 28, 2014 at 3:03 PMMar 28, 2014 at 7:22 PM

Emergency personnel pulled a Dover man from the Cocheco River late Friday afternoon after he had fallen through the ice. At 2:49 p.m. emergency rescue crews received a phone call reporting that a man was in the river and struggling to get out.

DOVER — Emergency personnel pulled a Dover man from the Cocheco River late Friday afternoon after he had fallen through the ice.

At 2:49 p.m. emergency rescue crews received a phone call reporting that a man was in the river and struggling to get out. Police officers responding to the scene threw a rope to him. He was able to hang on until the Dover Fire Department arrived. Assistant Fire Chief James Ormond said crews were already dealing with another emergency when the call came in for the river rescue. Fire department rescuers were at the scene of an accident near Dover High School in which a pedestrian was struck.

When the fire department arrived at the river rescue, two men donned ice rescue suits. One went into the water, while the other stayed on shore to pull the as-yet-unidentified middle-aged man to safety.

Police Chief Anthony Colarusso said they will investigate how the man fell into the ice. It is believed he was walking on a trestle beneath the foot bridge on the Dover Community Trail.

Colarusso gave credit to the caller who happened to see the man fall through the ice.

The man was transported to Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover. Officials did not believe the man sustained injuries in the fall, but may have been suffering from hypothermia.